Tag Archives: blogging

Do you remember Paula Deen from 2013? Do you remember the controversy surrounding one of her employees who sued her, and as a result, a number of accusations emerged, claiming that she and her brother used racist language often at work? Well, that was not my favorite moment in 2013, but the #paulasbestdishes hashtag on Twitter that followed did. Black Twitter came alive and brought to the media’s attention the story that was otherwise falling off the radar.

This hashtag showed so many how powerful Black Twitter is, and it has been a platform for a resurgence of black feminist politics as well. My best moments in social media in 2013, all involve Black Twitter.

Da Realist 1

Image courtesy of Danilo Rizzuti/FreeDigital Photos.net.

To be honest, 2013 was not a great year for me. So, good riddance! I was glad to see it go. Life wasn’t working out the way I planned it. The job market has been tough. I lost one of my best friends. I felt isolated because I live far away from my sister-friends.

Then, one day I was talking to Da Hype 1 on the phone (as I do pretty much every day), and we came up with the idea of starting this blog. I don’t remember who suggested it (probably Hype), but I knew it was time to try something different. Blogging was something that I’d thought about before. In fact, my husband had encouraged me to blog, but I had absolutely no idea how to start.

Well, Da Hype 1 and I put our heads together, and 2 Dope Sistahswas born. Although it has sometimes been hectic, some of my best moments of 2013 have been related to working on this blog.

So, 2 Dope Sistahs were on Pinterest and thought we would participate in one of the posts, “30 Day Photo Challenge,” which was originally posted on the Little Bennet blog. We decided to present our pictures on Fridays so that we can explore the power of the camera and how we see the world.

Day 1 is a Self Portrait

Da Realist 1: Cuttin’ my eyes

Cuttin’ my eyes

Since I suggested “Foto Fridays,” you might think I would have been excited about the self portrait, but I was not. I was excited to finally use my tripod and learn how to set the self-timer on my camera. But I absolutely hate pictures of myself, even though I love taking pictures of everyone else. After taking many, many pictures of myself, I chose this one because it seems to capture one of my signature looks. My mother would describe it as “cuttin’ my eyes” at someone.

Da Hype 1: Salty

Salty about this week in race relations

This picture represents how I feel today and practically all week . . . salty! Actually, “salty” is an understatement.

I was salty on Monday when the Supreme Court decided to punt the Fisher v. University of Texas case back down to the lower courts. I was salty on Tuesday when the same Supreme Court decided to revoke a voter rights provision. I was salty listening to the Trayvon Martin case. I was pissed off reading the ways in which the Prosecution’s witness, Rachel Jeantel, was treated as if she were on trial and not a witness.